


you got me hooked up on the feeling (got me up so high I'm barely breathing)

by kungfucoffee



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: M/M, Mafia AU, Monsta X Bingo, also college au, minhyuk has a twin minjae, shownu and his family are poor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-11-05
Packaged: 2018-08-11 18:32:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7903252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kungfucoffee/pseuds/kungfucoffee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lee Minhyuk, co-heir to the biggest, baddest syndicate in South Korea, the Ssang Kal. He's tough as nails, handsome as the devil, and has a reputation in Seoul as the Angel of Darkness. When a mission brings him close to getting severely injured, his twin brother Minjae decides it's time to hire a bodyguard.<br/>Enter Son Hyunwoo, a struggling college student balancing student loans, his sister and mother's expenses back home, and his mom's extensive hospital bills. When he catches the eye of the one and only Lee Minhyuk, he's offered a job at a price he can't say no to. As he navigates the underground of Seoul, he discovers what it truly means to be Ssang Kal, and what it means to be Lee Minhyuk's.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Playlist

**Author's Note:**

> posting this so that i have something up for the mx fic bingo deadline but i literally have like 10k planned out ok pls anticipate a whole fuckn lot.

[Playlist](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQeGxyeu_qhI8MvBRrvKaGj4pdaEAMmyp)

**1\. Gangsta-- Kehlani**

**2\. Bittersweet-- Ellie Goulding**

**3\. Radioactive-- Imagine Dragons**

**4\. Beating Hearts-- Ellie Goulding**

**5\. Bonnie &Clyde-- DEAN**

 

_enjoy._

 


	2. Ride or Die With Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> and so it begins.

_“Happy birthday, my dears,” tall and gentle, Minhyuk’s mother smiled at her twin sons from her place at the foot of the table. She was draped in black silk, tattoos on her collarbones exposed for the world. “Your father has great news for you.”_

_“The mark?” Minjae asked quietly, across the table from Minhyuk. Both twins had been pushing the meat on their plates around the whole dinner, knowing what followed._

_“That, yes, but there’s something else that you can look forward to,” Their mom smiled, taking a slow sip of wine, “I’m sure it won’t disappoint. I put a lot of work into it too, you know.”_

_“Boys,” Their father rumbled from the door, imposing and dark. Minhyuk and Minjae both scrambled to their feet, to bow first to their father and then their mother, following their father out the door of the dining room and down the rickety staircase that led to the sound proof basement._

_Park Jungsu and Kim Joongwon, their father’s highest assistants, stood waiting and bowed to their father._

_Minjae and Minhyuk took their places in front of their father, kneeling on both knees, heads bowed. Jungsu came behind Minjae and Joongwon behind Minhyuk._

_“Do you, Lee Minhyuk, swear your life, liberty and allegiance to Ssang Kal Beomjoedan for eternity?”_

_“I do!”_

_“Do you, Lee Minjae, swear your life, liberty and allegiance to Ssang Kal Beomjoedan for eternity?”_

_“I do!”_

_“Let the mark of Ssang Kal Beomjoedan be borne on your back and be a symbol to all of your status and power!”_

_Burning flesh, extreme pain and agony. Minhyuk gritted his teeth to not make a sound, not show his father his weakness as the Ssang Kal symbol was burned into the flesh of his back with a branding iron. Next to him, Minjae was crying from the pure pain of it all._

_The sweet, musky scent of burning flesh filled the air, and Minhyuk almost threw up. Behind him, Joongwon made a disgusted noise._

_“Get up.”_

_At their fathers’ command, the two scramble to their feet._

_“I pronounce you Lee Minhyuk and Lee Minjae of the Ssang Kal Beomjoedan, the Twin Knives, the heirs to the throne.”_

_Minhyuk remembers Joongwon nudging Minhyuk, reminding him to bow low. The movement, the necessary back muscle strength it takes to do so, sends searing pain through Minhyuk’s back where the brand is._

_After their mother rushes into the room to comfort them, smooth the sweaty hair from their pained faces, their mother and father explain what will happen._

_“Until today, the Ssang Kal have held the province of Jeolla under its grip,” their father explains, pacing back and forth, “Your mother and I have decided that it’s time to expand our empire for the two of you to take over. Today, we sent a few men into Seoul, and the rest of the infiltration will follow in the next week. Within a month, we should have Seoul in our grasp.”_

_“Father, isn’t Seoul very strict against organized crime?” Minjae asked, eyes narrowed. He didn’t like the idea of being a guinea pig._

_“Normally, yes,” Their mother said in her husky voice, “But yours truly has been doing research on all the pigs running Seoul. They all have hordes of blackmail material—heroin, marijuana, cocaine, prostitution, money laundering. We can easily take Seoul.”_

_“The two of you will be travelling to Seoul in a month,” Their father said in that commanding way of his, “You will be attending Seoul National University and be residing in an apartment in Gangnam. Penthouse suite, the best of the best. Joongwon and Jungsu will be helping you manage the Seoul area. The jung wi will be residing with Joongwon and Jungsu in a hanok. We do want you to be involved in activity, but more importantly you will both be majoring in Business. Minjae, your double major is Computer Science. Minhyuk, yours is Communication.”_

_The twins shared tired smiles—it fit them, obviously._

_In their home in Jeolla, Minhyuk had been the face of crime that the twins committed. When their father gave them a man to kill or government official to interrogate, Minhyuk did all face-to-face interaction. With his blinding smile, adorable smile and cheerful persona, he was the last person to be nailed for a member of the most notorious mafia syndicate in Korea. Minjae, on the other hand, did all the behind-the-scenes things. From hacking into complex computer system databases to guiding Minhyuk through a kill on a hit job, he did it all. The two made the ultimate tag team, and the only flaw for Minjae was that there was no protection of Minhyuk—Minjae had no way of protecting his twin brother, and it worried him._

_They’d talked about it, but really, there was nothing they could do._

_“Hey, Minhyuk!”_

_“Minhyuk!”_

_“Hyuk-ah!”_

_“MINHYUK! GET UP!”_

“Oh shit!” Minhyuk bolted up in bed, accidentally knocking his head against Minjae’s, who was standing over him, looking frustrated.

“How long did you stay up last night?” Minjae complained, going over to his dresser to change into the day’s clothes now that Minhyuk was awake.

“Three in the morning,” Minhyuk laughed sheepishly, yanking his shirt over his head.  “Haikyuu is super interesting, okay?” He grabbed a clean black t-shirt and went over to the full-body mirror to get dressed.

His two identical knives lay underneath his collarbones, the tattoo of all Ssang Kal members. If he turned so that his back was facing the mirror, he could see the puffy, scarred skin of the brand where his Ssang Kal emblem was branded into his skin, done on his 18th birthday to mark the entrance of two new brothers into the family line of the Ssang Kal.

As he pulled the t-shirt over his head, he winced in pain. The twins had a mission the night before, and it had escalated into a fight between Minhyuk and five guys with knives. He’d won, but one of them slashed him on the shoulder. Minjae had gotten him to a hospital that was affiliated with Ssang Kal pretty quick and he was ok, but it still throbbed with pain. On the drive home from the hospital, Minjae had yelled at Minhyuk about being more careful and safe. Minhyuk fell asleep.

“Hurry up, dumbass, make some breakfast! You’ll be late for class!” Minjae yelled from the kitchen. Minhyuk jammed on some black skinny jeans and shoved his phone into his back pocket. After grabbing a banana, the two stepped out into the hall of their apartment building.

Minjae locked the door as Minhyuk pressed the button for the elevator, peeling his banana.

“How you feeling?” Minjae asked as they got into the luxurious elevator, floors of marble and lined with mirrors.

“Okay,” Minhyuk shrugged, “Bones are kinda heavy, my shoulder hurts but I’ll just knock a couple xans before class.”

“Hyuk!” Minjae scolded, kicking Minhyuk in the knee, “Just take a fucking ibuprofen, don’t be a dumbass.”

“I’m always a dumbass,” Minhyuk smiled easily at Minjae, sending him a peace sign before bouncing off the elevator towards their car.

That morning, he drove crazier than normal.

“First class today is in the annex building, right?” Minhyuk asked once they had parked the car in the student lot. He rarely remembered what classes he had.

“Yes, idiot,” Minjae grumbled, grabbing his backpack from the car, “Let’s go.” Their classroom was only a couple minutes’ walk from the student lot, and the twins found their seats at the back of the classroom.

After settling in and pulling out their supplies, Minhyuk quickly grew restless.

“Hey look who it is,” Minjae muttered lowly, nudging Minhyuk’s arm, making him wince, “your loverboy.”

“Will you shut up,” Minhyuk complained, rolling his eyes as he rubbed his arm, “I’m never telling you the next time I have a crush on someone.”

“How do you have a crush on him, anyways?” Minjae wrinkled his nose, “You’ve talked to him, like, once, and he’s super quiet and dorky.”

“Hey, he’s cute, ok?” Minhyuk leaned forward on his desk, taking in the beautiful sight of Son Hyunwoo. One year older than the twins, he was in a few of their Business classes, and Minhyuk had developed something akin to a crush on him. Obviously, nothing would come of it given the twins’ occupation, but Minjae liked to tease him for it.

“Yeah, somehow I don’t see the cute,” Minjae commented dryly as he turned back to unpacking his backpack for the days’ lesson.

“Don’t look now, but Lee Minhyuk is looking at you,” Yoo Kihyun, Hyunwoo’s best friend, hissed to Hyunwoo as they took their seats at the front of the classroom.

Hyunwoo, of course, turned around and glanced at Minhyuk, meeting eyes. He quickly turned back around, cheeks quickly turning pink. When he glanced back again, the younger was still gazing intently at him. He whipped around in his seat to face the front.

“Yah, why don’t you just ask the guy out?” Kihyun complained, pulling his pencil case out of his backpack, “Your little pining schtick is getting pretty fucking irritating.”

“I would ask him out if his twin wasn’t always with him,” Hyunwoo hissed back, “And besides, he wouldn’t want to go out with me.”

“I’m sure he would,” Kihyun groaned, tired of Hyunwoo’s lack of self-confidence, “Why else would he constantly be looking at you during class?”

“Maybe, I dunno, because I’m a dork?” Hyunwoo crossed his arms, leaning back.

“Yeah, can’t really argue with that,” Kihyun smirked at his friend as the professor entered the room, “You’re so—“

“Shut up, he’s starting the lesson,” Hyunwoo hit his friend on the thigh, motioning towards the professor. Kihyun rolled his eyes and took out his phone, hiding it behind his textbook so that he could play Neko Atsume.

Hyunwoo did his best to listen to the teacher’s lecture, diligently taking notes all during class. When the lecture finally ended and class was dismissed, Hyunwoo set off for home.

“Leaving already?” Kihyun asked cheerfully as they walked to the edge of campus where Hyunwoo’s bus stop was.

“Yeah, I have an all-night shift and I want to squeeze in a nap,” Hyunwoo smiled wryly, “Plus it’s my only class of the day, so I can head home now. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

Kihyun waved in return as Hyunwoo boarded the bus, scanning his bus card and finding a place to sit. The bus was fairly crowded with ahjummas, coming home from the weekly shopping, their floral bags being lugged up the bus stairs. Just as he was settling down, Hyunwoo’s phone started buzzing.

“Ah, Hyemi,” Hyunwon answered when his younger sister greeted him over the phone, “is everything okay?”

“No,” Hyemi stuttered into the phone, voice obviously choked with tears, “Mom isn’t getting any better and I wasn’t able to pay the last two hospital bills. Dad’s old friends keep coming by for money, so I can’t pay them. Oppa, I need help.” Hyunwoo sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

“Hyemi-ah, don’t worry,” he reassured his sister, “I’m getting paid today, so I’ll transfer all my money into Mom’s bank account. Use that to pay off whatever you can.”

“But what about you?” Hyemi asked worriedly, “Will you eat if you give us all your money?”

“Don’t worry, Hyemi-ah,” Hyunwoo responded, mentally wincing as he counted out how many days he would be going without much food, “Mom matters more than this. How’s school?”

“Pretty good. My grades are okay, and people are nice to me.”

“That’s good to hear! I’m glad people are treating you well.”

“Yeah, me too,” Hyemi sighed. “Mom barely talks to me anymore.”

“I know, I’m sorry. It’s just part of the illness, you know.”

“Yeah, but still, it just gets to me sometimes, you know?”

“Yeah, I’ll try and visit soon, okay?”

“That would be awesome! Oppa, I have to go now, okay?”

“Alright, I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Okay, I love you.”

“Love you too. Take care.”

Hyunwoo’s mom had been diagnosed and hospitalized with a severe brain tumor a few weeks after he left for college. Hyemi, his younger sister by two years, had told him to stay at college and that she would work part-time jobs to pay the bills and take care of their mom. Obviously, Hyunwoo contributed the majority of the money that went to pay the bills, but their father’s old friends from the Japanese yakuza would visit their house every two weeks, demanding money. Back when they had lived with their father, Hyunwoo had come in contact with the Japanese yakuza in Korea many times, but Hyemi was too young to remember it, referring to them instead as their father’s friends.  Hyemi had no choice but to agree.

Almost every paycheck Hyunwoo got from his two jobs went back home. He had a super small apartment in one of the seediest, dirtiest red light districts of Seoul, and lived off of rice and boiled vegetables, too poor to even afford ramyun. Kihyun and his other friends knew his situation and tried to help, but Hyunwoo was too prideful to accept.

The stove in his apartment barely worked, the roof leaked when it rained and there was barely any heating for times like now, when winter set in and there was more snow than rain. Hyunwoo had six blankets piled on his bed.

He worked two jobs, one as a cashier at a corner store and one as a bouncer for a club in Hongdae. The bouncer gig was well paying, and given his muscular stature and liking for working out at the university gym, it was an easy job as well.

Tuition at Seoul National University was difficult, and Hyunwoo was living at less than paycheck-to-paycheck. His student loans were no joke, and he’d probably be in debt for the rest of his life—the price of education and a happy family.

Hyunwoo got off the bus at his stop, walking down a side street lined with brothels and innocent store fronts that led to cocaine and heroin dealers in the back. Rain dripped down the lamp posts and store awnings, and the sky was grey. As he passed by the biggest brothel on the street, he heard the unmistakable sound of a gunshot.

Freezing in his place, Hyunwoo glanced up at the building and then quickened his pace. As he quickly unlocked the iron gate that led to the spindly apartment building he lived in, he glanced over at the brothel again.

Hyunwoo’s blood ran cold as he watched Lee Minhyuk leave the brothel, tucking something into his waistband and casually wiping blood from his face.  His shirt was unbuttoned by three buttons, exposing two tattoos under his collarbones. The two made eerie eye contact for a long, breathtaking second before something passed through Minhyuk’s eyes and he walked the other way towards an idle Mercedes Benz.

Was Lee Minhyuk a gangster? Was he a pimp, or the owner of the brothel? Or maybe… was he a male prostitute? With that face, it was definitely plausible.

Hyunwoo shook his head, trying to get rid of those thoughts. Whatever it was that Lee Minhyuk did, Hyunwoo would do well to steer clear of him after that.

Hyunwoo tiredly climbed up the old, molding stairs of the apartment building, its damp, musty reek only intensified by the day’s rain. After several tries to unlock the old, beaten-up door, he finally manages to pry it open, toeing his shoes off and collapsing on his small mattress by the wall.

His apartment was small—an open kitchen and living room/bedroom and a bathroom. The kitchen, living room and bedroom were all in the same room, with the kitchen appliances furthest from the door, a small fold-up table in the middle of the room where Hyunwoo did homework and his computer rested, and his mattress where he slept. In the corner, there was a small dresser, stuffed with his minimal, slightly threadbare clothing.

It was barely livable, and running water wasn’t always guaranteed, but Hyunwoo mostly showered at the university so that his water bill wasn’t as high.

Burrowed under his six blankets, Hyunwoo fell into a deep sleep.

He only woke up again at eleven, when his phone started blaring its alarm, letting him know that it was time to get up for his shift at the club. He threw on some thick jeans and a grey hoodie, layering a leather jacket over it. After grabbing his club work ID and his flashlight for checking IDs, he quickly locked the door and speed-walked to the main road, where he waited patiently for the bus to Hongdae.

The ride took about an hour, and the bright lights and pounding bass of the club greeted him as he punched in for the beginning of his shift.

The night was fairly boring for a Friday night, not that many fights or people with fake IDs. Two guys into a pretty big fight, but the bartender had broken it up, so Hyunwoo didn’t end up having to do anything except haul the two out onto the street.

His shift ended at four in the morning, and he took the bus back home, getting back at five.

The street was eerily quiet, night lamps all out. A sleek black car was parked in front of the apartment building, and it almost looked familiar. The road was covered in rain, a dark black sheen. Hyunwoo’s breath fogged into condensation. The iron gate entrance to the apartment building was open, which was weird. Normally, no one entered the building after Hyunwoo left for his night shift.

Shaking off the weird feeling that something huge was about to happen, Hyunwoo made the trek up the dilapidated stairs. When he got to his apartment, he froze.

The door was open an inch and the knob was completely busted off.

Cautiously, carefully, Hyunwoo nudged open the door.

He came face-to-face with Lee Minhyuk, a smile stretched across his perfect white teeth.

“Sorry about this, Son Hyunwoo.”

After knocking the poor guy out, Minhyuk texted Minjae to come up so that he could help carry him into the car. Hyunwoo was a big, muscular guy, and while Minhyuk was pretty strong, there was no way he could carry him down all by himself.

“You grab his legs,” Minhyuk gestured towards the body, and Minjae nodded. Grumbling quietly, the twins lugged the man down the stairs and tossed him into the backseat. Minhyuk took the wheel, while Minjae directs him to the Ssang Kal hanok, where their Seoul compound is.

“We’re going to have to kill him,” Minjae reminded his brother regretfully. Minhyuk stared out of the window at the rain-soaked city, jaw clenched. Minjae could see the muscle in his jaw working.

“No.” Minhyuk said firmly, “I’ll find something. We’re not killing him.”

“Look, just because you’ve got the hots for him doesn’t mean we can spare him,” Minjae glanced sharply over at his brother, “He saw you come out of there, blood on your fucking face, your tattoos on display for the world. He’s one of the first people the police are gonna ask, and it’s on your dumb ass.”

“Not if he works for us,” Minhyuk replied quietly, folding his hands as he calmly looked over at his brother. His jaw was no longer clenched.

Minjae held his twin’s gaze for a long moment before returning it to the road, sighing in defeat. “Fine. Do as you wish.”

Two of the Ssang Kal carried Hyunwoo into the compound, letting the twins enter by themselves. They took Hyunwoo into a back interrogation room, and the twins followed.

“Looks like you’re awake.”

Hyunwoo jolted, neck snapping up. He was in a sterile white room, seated in a rickety metal chair. The chair was pulled up to a steel table, almost like the surgical tables he saw in gangster movies. Minjae and Minhyuk both sat across from him, wearing almost identical smirks. Minjae was clad in a loose black t-shirt, while Minhyuk sported a black button-up, crisp and stretched taught across his muscular chest.

Behind the twins, he can see a spray of something on the white wall—blood. He gulps, heart in his chest, and glances down. His heart only gets worse.

Lying on the table between them is a black handgun, loaded.

“Son Hyunwoo,” Minhyuk leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table, “I am going to give you two options. You are a lucky, lucky man. Not many are granted options by the Twin Knives of Ssang Kal.”

“You may know us by different names,” Minjae said cooly, meeting Hyunwoo’s eyes with a steely gaze, “They call my brother the Angel of Death, and I, the Devil of Darkness. Perhaps you’ve heard of us.”

Hyunwoo definitely had. Word on the street—and on the news—was that the Ssang Kal syndicate, which had total control over both Jeolla and Busan, had sent some of their strongest to take Seoul. The managers of Seoul now, post-control, were the Angel of Death and the Devil of Darkness. Never once would he have guessed that the playful Lee twins in his Macroeconomics class were the Twin Knives of Ssang Kal.

“Number one,” Minhyuk lifted one slim digit, “I pick up this gun, point it at your head, and pull the trigger. Quite messy, blood and brains everywhere. You will find that I prefer to keep my father’s house clean.” He leaned across the table, a sly grin on his mouth that made Hyunwoo’s heart race. “Number two. You pick up this gun, and along with it, an oath to Ssang Kal and to me. “

“What?” Hyunwoo stared at the twins, shocked at the offer. He couldn’t tell which was worse—die today, just for seeing Lee Minhyuk at a crime scene, or pledge allegiance to the most notorious mafia in Korean.

“I’ll make your decision easier,” Minjae pulled out a folder, opening it and tossing it in front of Hyunwoo. It was all of his bank statements, his mother’s bank statements, the tuition bills, the hospital bills, screencaptures from CCTV of the yakuza coming to Hyemi. The papers spilled out of the folder, some of them drifting off the table onto the dirty floor. “We know about your situation. Here is our offer. We pay for your full tuition to Seoul National University. We pay for you mother’s medical bills until she has either fully recovered or passed away. We will provide your younger sister with protection from the Yakuza. You will move into our shared apartment and room with Minhyuk. And we give you a salary of 10,000,000 Won. In exchange, you will become Minhyuk’s bodyguard. You will accompany him on missions and your sole role will be to protect Minhyuk from any harm.”

Hyunwoo gaped at the twins, heart in his throat now. This was such a huge offer—such a huge offer, he couldn’t resist. Hyemi would be safe, his mom’s bills would be paid, he would be able to _live_ , but at what price?

“Will I die?” is the first thing Hyunwoo asks. Minhyuk chuckles.

“I don’t think so. You may, but I doubt it.”

“Think about it, Son Hyunwoo,” Minjae says cooly, “It’s your life, your sister’s life, your mother’s life now, or the possibility of your life later. Your choice.”

“Choose wisely, you don’t get a second chance,” Minhyuk’s lilting voice advises him.

Hyunwoo stares down at the metal gun and then up at the twins. He shuts his eyes, imagining the fear that Hyemi must feel every time those thugs decide to swing by. The pain that his mom must feel when she hears how they’re struggling to make ends meet.

His fingers grasp cold metal.

“Excellent choice,” Minhyuk hums, like a king who had just devoured a feast. The twins get up from their seat, heading for the door.

“Wait!” Hyunwoo calls, “I have a question. Why not just kill me? Why give _me_ a second chance?”

“I needed a bodyguard. You fit the job description,” Minhyuk shrugs.

“Hyukkie also happens to particularly enjoy your face,” Minjae adds dryly.

“You do have an exquisite body,” Minhyuk purrs, eyes raking over Hyunwoo’s body. He feels his cheeks heating up at the attention.

With a wink, the twins swept out of the room, leaving Hyunwoo’s heart beating its way out of his chest.

A Beretta M9. That night, when he Googles the gun, he finds out that it’s a Beretta M9. The official handgun of the US Military, impossible to find in Korea, and yet here it was in his hand.

The gun brought back bad memories of his father, the yakuza, those awful two years in Japan.

That night, Hyunwoo slept fitfully in a bed that wasn’t his own, deep inside the Ssang Kal compound.

He wakes up the next morning to the sounds of deep voices chattering, movement, and feet on hard wood floor. Bones groaning in protest, he swings his body around and sets his bare feet on the cold wood floor. He tosses the coarse cotton blanket off his body and folds it up neatly, not sure what the decorum in the Ssang Kal house calls for.

Hyunwoo yanked on his grey hoodie and socks, both of which he had yanked off during the night. The compound, apparently, got extremely hot at night. After pulling his hood over his head (Hyunwoo knew by now that his bed hair was atrocious), he carefully slid the wooden door panel open and stepped out into the hall.

It was bustling with activity, men of all ages hurrying down the hall. One man was quickly buttoning his shirt, undershirt just barely revealing his Ssang Kal tattoos. Another man was tucking a knife into his suit jacket, hair gelled perfectly.

Not sure where to go, Hyunwoo followed the general stream of people, carefully watching and observing to see if he could figure out where to go. There were just _so many people_ , talking loudly and hissing at each other, the mixture of words assaulting Hyunwoo’s ears.

“Hyunwoo!”

He spun around to face Minjae, whose lips were quirked up in something akin to a smirk.

“I wasn’t sure when you would awake, but I see you have,” he beckoned for Hyunwoo to follow him down a much more empty hall, “Your room that you stayed in last night was entirely temporary, we will be relocating you to our flat today, but we figured we would let you brush your teeth and such. Here,” Minjae gestured to a huge, luxurious bathroom, “Feel free to shower, shave, use any of the necessities here. You are our guest.”

“Uh,” Hyunwoo rubbed the back of his neck, “Thanks.” Minjae nodded sharply and closed the door behind Hyunwoo.

The first thing Hyunwoo did was turn the knob of the shower to scalding hot and jump under the spray of water, washing out his hair and scrubbing his body until it turned pink. It also gave him a chance to really digest everything that had happened in the last 24 hours, but honestly speaking, the bustling environment of the compound wasn’t anything new to him.

After showering, Hyunwoo combed out his wet hair and threw on his old clothes. He brushed his teeth with a complimentary toothbrush, and used their state-of-the-art electric razor to get rid of the gross hairs just barely appearing on his face.

Once he was done, Hyunwoo stepped back into the empty hall, heading back towards the main area where all the activity had been. It was much quieter, he noticed, and most people had probably left the compound for their day-to-day jobs.

“Hyunwoo! You’re done,” Minhyuk stood at the end of the hall with a large smile, “You look refreshed.”

“I _feel_ refreshed too. Your towels are nice,” Hyunwoo admitted, falling in step with Minhyuk as he was led down a flight of stairs to a garage.

“Hyunwoo, you drive, correct?”

“Yeah, why?” Hyunwoo watched as Minhyuk dangled a pair of keys and clicked the automatic button. A gleaming Mercedes blinked its lights, and Minhyuk tossed the keys to Hyunwoo, who scrambled to catch them.

The car smelled new, like barely-used leather and nondescript air freshener. Minhyuk settled into the passenger seat as Hyunwoo turned on the ignition. The engine of the car purred, and Hyunwoo tried to relax into the leather seat a bit. It was hard with Minhyuk’s eyes boring holes into the side of his head.

“You can drive to your flat, right?” Minhyuk asked, typing Hyunwoo’s address into the GPS installed in the car, “We’ll move your stuff over to your flat today. I cleared out the whole day, so we can make multiple trips without cramming the car too full.”

“Oh, I doubt it,” Hyunwoo muttered off handedly, pulling out of the garage smoothly.

“Huh?” Minhyuk glanced over at Hyunwoo, watching the older man as he turned the turn-lanes blinker on.

“Oh,” Hyunwoo grinned sheepishly, sending Minhyuk a look, “I doubt that I have enough stuff to take more than one trip.”

Minhyuk wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

“Here we are,” Hyunwoo managed to pry open the rickety wooden door, revealing his familiar apartment to Minhyuk. “I’m not really sure where to start, to be honest.”

“Here,” Minhyuk tossed Hyunwoo a box, “Pack your clothes and shit like that. Anything that doesn’t mean shit to you, we’ll just buy you new ones. Sheets, mattress, pans and shit like that.”

Hyunwoo looked sharply at Minhyuk, eyes roving over his face in question.

“The Ssang Kal treats its employees well,” was all Minhyuk said, bending over to pile Hyunwoo’s textbooks and laptop into a cloth bag. “You need a new laptop, too. This isn’t good enough for someone working for me.”

Hyunwoo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Yeah, Minhyuk was kind and nice, but he was also a bit insensitive. Hyunwoo had saved up for two years to buy that laptop, and it was a symbol of what hard work could do to him.

Hyunwoo was right, all his belongings from the apartment fit in the trunk of the car with ease. Minhyuk punched another address into the GPS and set it up, letting Hyunwoo follow it in silence. The only sounds were the two breathing, people outside honking, and the occasional click of the blinkers.

The drive from Hyunwoo’s flat to Minhyuk’s place was about 30 minutes. The red light district of Seoul and Gangnam, were Minhyuk lived, weren’t too far away. Minhyuk helped the other unload the two boxes and one bag of stuff, and he led Hyunwoo into the building. The security guard at the bottom nodded to the two of them, and Minhyuk stepped onto the waiting elevator.

“I have notified the personnel of you,” Minhyuk explained, “They’ll know your face now. I’ll give you the key card too, but they should know you.” The elevator took the two all the way to the top of the building, and Minhyuk had to hand Hyunwoo one of the bags in order to unlock the door.

They shuffled in, Hyunwoo taking in the sharp, crisp lines of the white and silver apartment. Everything was perfectly decorated, but also very unlived in.

Minhyuk led Hyunwoo down a hall, gesturing to different rooms.

“There’s Minjae’s room,” Minjae’s room was very organized, walls a red-russet color. “My room,” Minhyuk’s room was super messy, clothing strewn all over the floor and bed unmade. His walls were white, but his bedspread and desk and such were a bright canary yellow. “Bathroom, linens closet.” Hyunwoo took everything in in silence, storing it all in the back of his mind. “Here’s your room.”

Minhyuk carefully opened the door and set Hyunwoo’s bag down. The walls were a light grey. A large bed was against one of the four walls, a closet spanned another wall, and a large desk, equipped with a fancy desktop computer, was pushed into the remaining corner. Simple black curtains were drawn over a large window above the desk, and the only light in the room was a fluorescent light from overhead.

“I’ll let you unpack,” Minhyuk patted Hyunwoo on the back cheerfully, “We have a lot more time than expected, I assumed it would take two or three trips to transport your stuff.”

Hyunwoo nodded and watched Minhyuk disappear down the hall into his own room. He glanced around the room, taking in everything again.

With a sigh, he padded over to the bed and sank down into the plush white comforter, socks sliding against the thick grey carpet. His eyes scanned the room, wondering where everything would go.

First went his clothes, organized neatly into the closet. Then he unpacked all his school supplies, his pens, highlighters and books, setting them on the shelves next to the desk. Finally, he took out the pictures he had of him with his mom and sister back home, setting their frames on the desk where he could see them.

With a smile, he mentally patted himself on the back, happy that he was able to maintain a sense of home even in this strange new apartment.

Once he had deemed the small little bedroom comfortable enough to sleep in, Hyunwoo sank into the soft mattress, reveling in the feeling of a real bed, not a lumpy roll-out futon. He knocked out fairly quickly, falling asleep curled up in the fluffy, warm covers.

Minhyuk had to admit, Hyunwoo was incredibly handsome when he was sleeping. The man was handsome always, but his stress left his eyebrows permanently furrowed, creased with his anxiety. As he slept, his face was blank and stress-free, peaceful even. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end.

“Hyunwoo,” Minhyuk said gently, nudging Hyunwoo’s arm with his toe. “Hyunwoo, get up. We have errands to run. Hyunwoo.” The man moved a bit and curled up more into himself. “Hyunwoo, come on. Get up.”

“What time is it?” Hyunwoo groaned, sitting up, covers pulled around his body like a tortilla around a burrito. His hair stuck straight up, and his face was adorably puffy.

“It’s three in the afternoon,” Minhyuk chirped happily, “I went through your clothes to see if you have anything to wear for your job—you don’t. We’re going shopping and I’m buying you some suits.”

“W-what?” Hyunwoo mumbled groggily, stifling a yawn as he looked up at Minhyuk with sleepy eyes.

“Get up looser, we’re going shopping,” Minhyuk teased with a grin as Hyunwoo stumbled out of his new bed.

“Did you really just quote Mean Girls?” Hyunwoo asked sleepily, following Minhyuk to the front of the apartment, where he stuffed his keys and phone into his hoodie pocket.

“Yes, yes I did,” Minhyuk sniffed in mock-aloofness, “I’m surprised you’ve seen that movie.”

Hyunwoo smiled at that, “I have a younger sister. I’ve seen every chick flick under the sun.”

“Well that’s great, because I love chick flicks,” Minhyuk snickered at Hyunwoo as they got back on the elevator, “Now, I’m thinking of getting you four work suits and two nicer suits for the fancier occasions.”

“What kind of occasions?” Hyunwoo asked cautiously, studying the side of Minhyuk’s face as he chattered away.

“Oh, you know,” Minhyuk waved a casual hand, “Banquets, formal parties, trials.”

“Trials?” Hyunwoo repeated, voice raised. Minhyuk glanced up at him.

“Dude, chill,” he shrugged, “they’re just a formality, really. Ssang Kal will never truly get in trouble with the law. It’s hard to get convicted of anything if you have people in every department,” Minhyuk chuckled as the elevator opened to the garage. The duo made their way to the car, Minhyuk driving this time.

Hyunwoo took the time to study Minhyuk, the way his brown eyes danced from underneath his silvery-blonde hair, the way his skinny fingers gripped the steering wheel _just so_. He was beautiful.

“I’m aware that I’m gorgeous, but you’re starting to creep me out,” Minhyuk’s drawl disrupted Hyunwoo’s train of thought, and he shook his head.

“Sorry, I was spacing out,” Hyunwoo apologized, glancing out the window in the other direction. The bustling streets of Seoul, grey and dirty, are speeding past them in a blur.

“Clearly,” Minhyuk smirks back, reaching over to pat Hyunwoo’s thigh. He jumps at the unexpected contact, and Minhyuk smirks even wider.

Minhyuk parks in a lot, shaded by a black car protector. He leads him inside a well-lit shop, mannequins dressed in crisp suits and tuxedos in the windows outside. They’re greeted in a flurry of attendants, all bowing low to Minhyuk and offering him a water bottle, a place to sit, a catalogue of the latest designs.

“I’m actually here for my, ah,” Minhyuk glances Hyunwoo up and down, and he’s suddenly hyper aware of the ratty clothes he’s wearing, “My friend. Where is Hansol?”

“Right here, my dear,” someone steps out from behind a curtain, measuring tape wrapped around his hand as he approached the two, “It’s been a while, Minhyuk-ah.”

“That it has,” Minhyuk smiled warmly, offering a hug to Hansol. Hyunwoo stiffened, watching the exchange awkwardly. Hansol then turned his attention to Hyunwoo, a large warm smile on his face.

“Who is this handsome young lad you’ve brought with you?” Hansol approached Hyunwoo, reaching out a hand to shake.

“Hansol.” Minhyuk said quietly, firmly. Hansol sighs and simply shakes Hyunwoo’s hand, leaving him a bit confused.

In a flurry of action, Hyunwoo is fitted for his suits. Hansol throws pieces of fabric at him, makes noises at the back of his throat and nearly stabs him with pins a couple of times. Hansol, Minhyuk assures him, is the best tailor in Seoul.

Hyunwoo can barely breathe, with the curtain that’s covering him from Hansol and Minhyuk’s curious eyes constantly being yanked open for the two to inspect the suits that he’s tried on. Some are met with distaste, others with disgust, and a select few with joy.

Minhyuk ends up selecting the ones he likes best, and the two get back into the car, suits neatly tucked into the trunk.

“You okay?” Minhyuk asks as they get back on the road, “You seem quiet. Quieter than usual.”

“Yeah,” Hyunwoo shrugged, “that was a bit overwhelming. I’m not used to that much fuss when it comes to clothing. If something’s on sale and not a gross color, I’ll buy it.”

As they reach a red light, Minhyuk looks wistfully over at Hyunwoo, “You deserve all the clothes in the world.”

“I’m sorry?” Hyunwoo can feel his cheeks turning pink, but he’s a bit reassured to see that Minhyuk’s are doing the same.

“It sucks that you weren’t able to splurge on clothes and stuff as a kid,” Minhyuk explains, “I’m sorry.”

“’s not your fault,” Hyunwoo responded gently, “And besides, even now, it’s my choice. No one’s forcing me to pay for Mom or for Hyemi, but I want to.”

Minhyuk studied Hyunwoo for a moment before the light turned green again and his focus was back on the road. Hyunwoo could feel his cheeks burning. He shook his head, opting for focusing on the black asphalt in front of him instead of Minhyuk, sitting next to him. His heart, though, was beating considerably faster.

The two sat in silence for a while, watching the scenery of Seoul rush past them.

“Your first job will be tonight,” Minhyuk interrupted the silence, “I’m attending a dinner with the son of the mayor, and I’ll need you to accompany me.”

“A-ah, ok,” Hyunwoo nodded, assuming that it wasn’t really up for discussion, “Is there anything I should know?”

Minhyuk glanced over at Hyunwoo with a small smile, “Very good, I’m impressed. Most people wouldn’t think to ask me of that. Minjae is working on compiling data files for you on all the relevant people you’ll be dealing with, but tonight is fairly simple. I’ll do all the talking, you’ll just sit there and make sure his men don’t try anything funny.” Hyunwoo nodded, opting to stay silent as he digested this. Minhyuk glanced over at the other, stifling a grin at how cute Hyunwoo looked when he was concentrating.

After the security guard at the gate of the apartment garage checked Minhyuk and Hyunwoo’s IDs, Hyunwoo carefully pulled into their designated spot and unlocked the door. Minhyuk cheerfully gathered Hyunwoo’s new suits in his arms and bounced towards the elevator. The two stood next to each other, Minhyuk humming a new pop song by BlackPink under his breath. It made Hyunwoo grin a bit.

“Dinner’s at five,” Minhyuk mentioned as he helped Hyunwoo hang the new suits in his closet, “So we should leave at 4:30. You’ll be driving, and Minjae should have emailed you a file on proper decorum. If it were just me, I wouldn’t really mind how you acted, but the Ssang Kal has an image to uphold, and you’ll be playing a large role in that image from now on.”

“That’s uh…” Hyunwoo sat down in the rolling chair that was placed at his new desk, “That’s a lot of responsibility to place on a rookie like me.”

Minhyuk smiled slowly, eyes traveling over Hyunwoo’s form leisurely, “I don’t think a rookie like you will be having too hard of a time.” With that, he floated out in a cloud of hums and his faint cologne.

Hyunwoo padded over to the closet, observing the various suits that he now owned. He settled on a dark charcoal suit jacket and slacks, paired with a black button up and nice black shoes that he had also found in the bottom of his closet, Hyunwoo’s precise shoe size. The Lee twins were scarily accurate.

Once he knew what he was wearing and had laid it out on his bed (admittedly feeling like a high-schooler), he sat down at the desk and powered up the computer. After setting it up with a password and customizing it, he opened up a browser and checked his email—sure enough, there was a new email from Lee Minjae, no text or subject, just an attachment.

Hyunwoo clicked it open and scanned over it. Surprisingly enough, he remembered a lot of it. Clearly, not much had changed.

It was basic—don’t speak unless spoken to by your boss only, leave questions asked to you by anyone else to your boss unless it was logistical, dress accordingly at all times, be polite and courteous, etc. It also outlined the basics of being a bodyguard—how to look out for threats, the different types of threats, how to respond, and so on.

Resting on his desk as well was the Beretta M9, the same gun that he had chosen in front of the twins the day before. Next to it was a holster, one that wrapped around your waist so that you could conceal the weapon underneath the waistband of your pants.

The leather was soft and high quality—the Lees went all out, not to Hyunwoo’s surprise.

A quick glance down at the clock on his laptop told Hyunwoo that it was four in the afternoon, so Hyunwoo undressed and hustled to scramble into the suit. He made sure that the safety of the gun was on, and that it was tucked under the waistband of his dark grey slacks.

Once he was satisfied that he was “dressed accordingly”, Hyunwoo grabbed his shoes off the floor and went out to the spacious living room.

Minjae was sitting at an elaborate computer system, multiple screens set up facing him. He was dressed comfortably, clearly not going out for the night.

“I manage the logistics of everything from the comfort of home,” Minjae explained gruffly, “Especially now that you’re with us, I have no reason to accompany Minhyuk anymore.”

“Also you’re a salty bitch who hates moving,” Minhyuk’s voice chuckled from behind Hyunwoo. As he turned around to face his employer, he could feel his heart catch. Minhyuk looked incredibly handsome, an odd combination of sharp angles and soft curves. He was dressed in another dark suit—what seemed to be his only option for Ssang Kal-related activities—that clung perfectly to his body.

“I can’t really argue with that,” Minjae laughed, taking a sip from his steaming mug that was placed next to his hi-tech keyboard. “Now, for this mission, Hyunwoo, I won’t be briefing you much. Most missions I will have an info packet ready for you, separate from Minhyuk’s, as your job is slightly different from his. Today, however, we want you to just observe the job and see how things play out.”

“It’s a fairly simple meeting,” Minhyuk explained to Hyunwoo as they got on the elevator—they had been doing a lot of that today. “Business partners want more business, the usual.”

“Ah,” Hyunwoo nodded in understanding. It wasn’t uncommon for syndicate leaders to meet formally and draft out plans.

“I believe I mentioned this before, but all we need of you is to make sure that I’m okay,” Minhyuk reiterated, “Stay aware of any potential threats, you should know the drill if you read the thingy Minjae sent you.”

“Yeah, I read the _thingy_ that Minjae sent me,” Hyunwoo teased lightly as they walked towards the car. Hyunwoo was driving, and Minhyuk slid easily into the passenger seat, punching the address into the GPS. The two sped off, Hyunwoo carefully following the directions that the GPS spit out.

Gentle rain started cascading from the sky, dancing in rivulets down the car window. Hyunwoo flicked the window wipers on and peered up at the slowly darkening sky.

“It’s been raining a lot recently, huh?” Minhyuk mused, resting his head against the cool glass window.

“Yeah,” Hyunwoo nodded in response, “It’s been a nice break from the hot weather we’ve been having.”

Minhyuk stayed uncharacteristically quiet for a while, eyes trained on the darkening asphalt passing by them. The city turned dreary again, buildings going from white to grey. Hyunwoo glanced over at Minhyuk, wondering why he was so quiet.

“ _Turn left. Destination will be on your right_ ,” the GPS spewed out, drawing Hyunwoo’s attention from Minhyuk’s frame to the road once more. He pulled up in front of a huge, fancy Western-style apartment building, built of almost entirely glass.

Hyunwoo hurried to get out of the car and open Minhyuk’s door for him, a basic duty as a bodyguard. Minhyuk climbed gracefully out of the car, almost reminding Hyunwoo of a cat. He accepted his large, unsuspectedly heavy briefcase from Hyunwoo’s awaiting hand and strolled into the building without a care in the world.

Hyunwoo trailed behind him, acutely aware of the building layout and who was where. There were no security guards, the first thing that made Hyunwoo suspicious.

When Minhyuk and he boarded the elevator, he noticed that the security cameras all had black painters’ tape over the lens. He decided to store the information in the back of his head, not wanting to distract Minhyuk and make him mess up on his first day on the job.

They got off on the 12th floor, and the elevator opened to a massive room, decorated with a very modern-edgy mindset. A tall figure was waiting at a set of couches over by the enormous, floor-to-ceiling window.

The view was breathtaking. It looked out over Seoul, the window covered in a slight sheen of rain. The city was grey, but not dirty. Directly across from the building was another, a bit shorter than the one they were in.

As Minhyuk took a seat across from the man sitting in the couch, Hyunwoo positioned himself slightly behind Minhyuk’s couch, towards the window.

He observed the scene unfolding before him silently, making sure all his senses were aware. He barely registered in Minhyuk making small talk with the other man, always cheerful and chipper. Minhyuk carefully unlatched the briefcase and set it on the small coffee table that was positioned between the two men.

The two talked some more, low murmurs in the background as Hyunwoo concentrated on everything that was happening. The man sitting across from Minhyuk crossed his legs, leaning forward slightly.

A slight movement in the corner of Hyunwoo’s eye made his head jerk to the left, and on the roof of the other building, he saw a lithe person in all black, sniper rifle pointed directly at them.

“Minhyuk!”

It was a blur to Hyunwoo. He remembers diving, the other man across from Minhyuk shouting, a searing pain in his left shoulder, a lot of commotion.

He remembers small details, the crisp white of the gurney, the high notes of the siren’s wail, Minhyuk’s twisted, proud smile as he jostles around in the back of an ambulance, the curling knives tattooed on the paramedic’s chest as he shows them to Minhyuk.

Minhyuk stares down at Hyunwoo, six stiches in his left bicep from where the sniper had barely scratched him.

“I understand why you’re testing him, but isn’t this going a little too far?” Minjae asked from the door to the private hospital room, arms crossed as he observed his brother. Minhyuk glanced back to face him with a smile.

“There’s something special about him,” Minhyuk sighed, pushing Hyunwoo’s tousled hair out of his face, “He’s so… pure. It makes me want to fuck him.”

“Do you ever _not_ think with your dick?” Minjae rolled his eyes, striding into the room to take a seat next to Minhyuk, who tossed him a quirked smirk.

“Nope.”

“Maybe this time, you should try thinking with something else,” Minjae said quietly, all jokes aside. He stared down at Hyunwoo’s still face, chest rising and falling with his even breaths. “He’s the first one to pass your absurd loyalty tests on the first try.” Minhyuk made a noise at the back of his throat in agreement. “And besides, he’s an honestly nice guy. He takes care of his family, he sends money back home, and I read his recent texts with his friends, he’s just reassuring them that he’s okay and found a new roommate. He hasn’t told anyone about us. Most people in his position would.”

Minhyuk looked down at Hyunwoo thoughtfully, “Right but my dear brother, you know that I don’t do _love_. That’s for saps like you.”

“You never know,” Minjae clapped his brother on the back, “I need to get back to work, but just know that Hyunwoo didn’t hesitate at all.”

Minhyuk watched his brother leave the pristine hospital, mulling this over.

 

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> tbh i was gonna use my get out of jail free card aka switch ur prompt for another one but then i was like no we need showhyuk mafia aus lets do it. anyway.s  
> subscribe to this shit so u kno when i post the actual fic!! like the rest of it!! i might actually write smut!!!1!


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